


The Red Tie

by consult_the_potato



Category: Steam Powered Giraffe
Genre: F/M, Honeybee - Freeform, If I'm not doing this right let me know, Other, Photographic Memories, Remembering the War, This is my first writing for this fandom and I'm sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-03
Updated: 2014-11-03
Packaged: 2018-02-23 22:30:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2558036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/consult_the_potato/pseuds/consult_the_potato
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Spine had never thought being alone was an option; now it was what he preferred.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Red Tie

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! I hope you enjoy this li'l thing! This is unbeta-ed, all mistakes are my own, and if there's anything you think I should improve on, let me know!! Thank you for reading!!

 

Jaw set tight, he plucked at the guitar strings as the audience squealed in delight of the long-awaited crowd favourite. Rabbit sang her newly-added verse, about angels and doves and something about love. This was always the part where the Spine just let his auto-pilot take over as the song progressed, tuning out the words and the feelings behind them. But, for some reason, this time he just...couldn't. Maybe it was the slower-than-usual tempo they took it, or the way Rabbit's voice sounded sweeter singing it; he couldn't pinpoint why he was still alert. However, the show must go on, so he continued playing, trying now to only focus on his fingers on the strings (which made him almost a beat quicker than the rest of the band) and then attempting to center his attention on anything but the song. That just messed him up more, so he sighed, kept his cool, and just went along with the song.

"Turpentine.." He and Hatchworth echoed behind Rabbit. "'Cause I don't want to live my life alone.." His photoreceptors scanned the crowd. "Waiting for you all my life." Michael Reed joined in. "Oh, I.." he sang, the others echoing. There were many fanbots all around in the crowd, and some were dressed as the bots themselves. "Set me free...my..." Rabbit cheesed it up as much as she could, as per usual. The Spine scanned the crowd, checking out all of the people, then looked right at a person dressed in clothes matching his. Something was..Extra? Different? Yes, different. They had the hat, makeup, vest, tie, shirt, pants...tie. The tie. It wasn't the right shade of red. Rabbit crooned "Ho-neybee!" to the excited concert-goers as Spine reached up to his neck, feeling like his tie was too loose. He gripped where the knot would be and--where was it? Oh, God, where was his tie?! Steam escaped from his back and he stumbled into the little side-step the others had started, looking around the ground for where his tie could be. Oh, no no no..They had left it at the Manor.

He remembered now, how they had gotten to the hotel and started to get ready, only to realize it was gone. "Nah, dude," Steve's voice echoed through his memory, "No one'll notice it's gone. You'll be fine!" And he had foolishly agreed with Steve. He realized now how much of a mistake that was. His tie was all he had left of her. "Ho-ney-bee!" Rabbit repeated. His tie was what held him together, it kept all of the memories muted, somehow. The memories...

* * *

Her thin-lipped smile beaming, showing how much she cared, her bright brown eyes shining up at him--she never liked the colour, she had always thought brown was too dull a colour for eyes, but God, he craved to see them again--her laugh replaying in his ears. He turned his head away, knees locking back into place. He had met her when oil still ran down his chin when he talked every now and again. Her black hair was long and thick, going past her back just by a couple of inches, freckles splayed all over her nose and cheeks. She had to stand up on her tiptoes in order to dab away the oil, and she’d be smiling all the while.

* * *

"Turpentine.." He sang again, the emotion present in his voice now. Hatchworth and Rabbit both glanced back at him curiously, then turned back to their respective focal points, thinking that maybe he was simply really getting into the song. "I don't want to live my life alone," The Spine had never thought being alone was an option; now it was what he preferred. "Waiting for you all my life." He looked over at Rabbit, noticing how her arms were wrapped around herself now. Her malfunction was going to happen, like usual. "Oh, I..." the others repeated, the entire band a little tense. They never liked watching Rabbit malfunction, but they also didn't want to disappoint the fans. So, Rabbit always put Honeybee on the setlist, choosing to endure the torture that was the love song. "Set me free-e.." a collective intake of air from the group. "My..My..MY-Y-Y-Y-Y" she stuttered, her body shuddered, and her arms tightened around her middle before jutting out before her as she bent out her knees, head down, stuck in standby mode. The Spine watched anxiously as Michael did a hasty tune-up, always nervous that one of these malfunctions would overheat her chassis and put her out of commission. He reached up and rubbed his neck as he watched, hand recoiling into a fist as he remembered that his tie was gone.

Rabbit stood back up again, completely giddy, and sang even sweeter "Ho-neybee!". It was so stupid that the tie meant so much, It was just fabric, and yet, it was also his undoing.

* * *

His mind drifted to the training days with his girl, remembering how they would spar and how skilled she was. She was fierce beneath her sweet exterior, merciful to an extent. Taught well, he thought, and able to carefully judge right from wrong. He jolted back to reality, realizing he was late at the swaying, and joining back in. "That I'll never know, I let myself go." War was so chaotic for the bots, he couldn't imagine how nerve-wracking it was for the humans. She was strong, though, and if anything had gotten to her, she never showed it until doors closed and it was only the two of them.

He had gotten so close to her, they never had to say how they felt toward each other because they just knew. On the day of the Final Battle, he wished he had told her, even if it was just once. He had rushed to her side as soon as he heard the scream. He pulled her into his chest, and she pressed her hands to the wound in her stomach, tears rolling down her cheeks. 

* * *

"But what do I know? I let myself go.." he turned his head away, feeling his faceplate begin to overheat and a thin layer of oil was building behind his photoreceptors. He couldn't stop thinking about the damn tie. It had to be that shade of red, didn't it? It had to be the same red she left on it. The piano swelled to a crescendo as the song hit its peak, Rabbit dancing with her invisible Honeybee and the Spine lost in his thoughts, forgetting to sing along. He didn't even do that stupid sidestep. He didn't want to move, he just wanted to stop thinking. He pushed a hand to the brim of his hat and used the heel of his palm to wipe away a dribble of oil, scowling as he did.

Why couldn't they have just remembered the stupid tie?

* * *

He didn't want to move from her side, but he knew he needed to get her some help; he needed to get the human medic. He was in a panic, jolting to get to his feet, but was stopped by a hand on his white tie, pulling him back down to her. He just looked down at her, oil leaking down his cheeks as he stroked her hair, watching her grow paler and watching the red pool around them grow. She leaned up, using his tie as leverage, and pressed a weak, fading kiss to his lips. In an instant, his arms were around her, pulling her closer but it was then he realized her lips had gone slack and that her body had, too. He looked down at her, moving her body from his just slightly. Her bloody hand fell from its place at his neck, leaving a crimson handprint in its wake. The oil flowed freely then, and he clutched her to him, metal arms tangled gently around her.

* * *

"Hello Goodbye 'twas nice to know you," "That I'll never know." He turned from his others, pulling the brim of his hat farther down in front of his eyes when he came back to the show. "I let myself go." The oil was overflowing, trailing down his neck and his back poured steam. The emotion in his voice begun to overtake him, and he faltered slightly. "But w-what do I know?" He moved his guitar and tightened his fists at his side.

Damn that red tie.

"Why'd you have to go?"


End file.
